GWEC Report: Fast-Track Offshore Wind To Help Prevent Future Energy Crises

9 June 2026, Hanoi | Governments across the world should expedite the development and construction of offshore wind farms to help shield their economies from the impacts of future energy crises, according to a new report from the Global Wind Energy Council.

Download the 2026 Global Offshore Wind Report.

Published at a time of rising instability and uncertainty in international energy markets, GWEC's 2026 Global Offshore Wind Report sets out an eight-point action plan for policymakers to ensure that offshore wind projects are prioritised for investment as nationally significant projects in planning and procurement frameworks.

In 2025, more than 9 GW of new offshore wind capacity was grid-connected worldwide, enough to power over 10 million homes according to GWEC. This made 2025 the third-highest year for new installations, bringing the cumulative total installed worldwide to 92.5 GW, equivalent to powering over 100 million homes.

With more than 50 GW of offshore wind projects in construction around the world, annual installations are expected to double in 2026, triple by 2031, and surpass 50 GW per year by 2035.

Predicted to reach a compound average annual growth rate of 24% between 2026 and 2030, offshore wind is set to become one of the world's fastest-growing mainstream energy technologies. More than 327 GW of new offshore wind capacity is forecast by GWEC to be added in the next decade, taking global offshore wind capacity to 420 GW by the end of 2035.

"We expect to see exceptional growth over the next decade leading to a quadrupling of the world's offshore wind capacity. Built at scale, offshore wind is a unique strategic asset and one of the best available utility-scale renewable power sources for a clean and secure power system offering high, predictable electricity generation," said Rebecca Williams, Deputy CEO of GWEC, ahead of the report's launch at the APAC Wind Energy Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam.

"Offshore wind is a natural fit for many countries but there are still too many solvable challenges that are delaying more projects being built. The planning and grid connection process can be painfully slow and beset with risks for developers and investors. Greater attention also needs to be given to ensuring market mechanisms such as CfDs are well designed to deliver bankable projects. Prioritising and fast-tracking offshore wind as nationally significant energy security infrastructure would be a key step to provide protection from regulatory delays and reduce financing costs, ultimately helping to lower bills for consumers."

Ms Williams continued: "In less than five years we have faced two major crises caused by continued reliance on imported fuels. It's now abundantly clear that we're in a race to electrify our economies and deploy as much reliable, homegrown renewable energy as possible before the next crisis erupts. Building an arc of offshore wind turbines along a country's coast is a way to guard against future supply shocks."

Rebecca Williams, Deputy CEO of GWEC

The 2026 Global Offshore Wind Report is published at a time when a growing number of markets including the UK, European Union, Türkiye, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea and Japan have demonstrated their intent to move further and faster to strengthen their energy resilience.

The report shows that diversifying energy systems is more than a climate objective, it is a fundamental pillar of national energy security and industrial growth. In addition, the report explores emerging trends and identifies solutions to long-standing issues such as delayed auctions, grid bottlenecks, permitting backlogs and constrained supply chains, which all slow development and help to deter vital investment.

Looking back at 2025, the report shows the global offshore market grew on average by 10% each year over the past decade, and the 92.5 GW installed to-date accounted for 7.1% of total global wind capacity. China led annual installations for the eighth consecutive year, commissioning 6.6 GW in 2025, while Europe commissioned nearly 2 GW across three markets: the UK (1.0 GW), Germany (0.5 GW) and France (0.4 GW).

Despite this progress, offshore wind deployment is not proceeding as fast as it should. The amount of offshore wind procured in auctions during 2025 was, at 11.4 GW, just one fifth of the record set in 2024. Additionally, around 25 GW of projects worldwide outside of China are still awaiting financial investment decision (FID) and are classed by GWEC as 'ready to build' having received consent and planning permission; these projects may be waiting for grid connections, auction outcomes or subsidy arrangements before they are green-lit.

GWEC's Action Plan for Offshore Wind

To help accelerate the global deployment of offshore wind, GWEC is calling on governments to prioritise the following actions:

1. Fast-track offshore wind as critical energy infrastructure: Governments must treat offshore wind along with its support infrastructure - grids, storage and ports - as nationally important infrastructure and develop long-term anticipatory grid investment plans coordinated with offshore wind auction pipelines.
2. Stronger government-industry partnership: Governments must engage in transparent and honest dialogue with the industry rooted in realistic country-specific context and deliverables so that expectations are grounded in evidence.
3. Counter misinformation and build public trust: Governments, industry and civil society must work together and confront well-funded disinformation campaigns head-on, build cross-party political consensus, and communicate the tangible benefits of offshore wind to communities and households.
4. Deliverable auction frameworks: Governments must shift from short-term procurement focused on lowest nominal price to long-term frameworks designed for deliverability, demand certainty and supply chain confidence.
5. Faster permitting: Governments must accelerate regulatory approvals by streamlining permitting and consenting procedures for offshore wind and co-located storage projects.

• More offshore wind financing: Governments must treat offshore wind as a critical national investment and allocate more financing along with grid, storage and support infrastructure.
• Scale and diversify supply chains: Governments must build robust industrial strategies and market arrangements for supply chain development, creating visible long-term pipelines and driving the manufacturing and workforce investments needed to deliver at pace.
• Industrial electrification: Governments must actively invest in decarbonising their industries and economies as that will enable offshore wind to deliver its full potential as the backbone of the electrified economy.

The Key Data

During 2025, GWEC's 2026 Global Offshore Wind Report reveals that:

Annual installations:

• Globally, 9.3 GW of new offshore wind capacity was grid-connected worldwide in 2025 - enough to power 10 million homes. New additions were 16% higher than the previous year, making 2025 the third-highest year for new installations in history.

• In China, new offshore wind installations were the highest globally for the eighth year in a row. With 6.6 GW new capacity commissioned, the country's total offshore wind capacity stood at 48.4 GW by the end of 2025.

• In Europe, nearly 2 GW of new offshore was wind commissioned from five wind farms across three markets last year, accounting for one-fifth of the offshore wind capacity connected worldwide. The UK connected the most in the region, at 1,049 MW.

• In Asia Pacific region, outside of mainland China, two other markets commissioned new offshore wind capacity: Taiwan (China) and South Korea.

• Globally, the offshore market grew on average by 10% each year over the past decade, bringing total installations to 92.5 GW, which accounted for 7.1% of total global wind capacity as of the end of 2025.

• China accounts for 52% of the global offshore wind market, having taken over the UK in 2021. Germany, the Netherlands and Taiwan (China) complete the top five.

• In Europe, total offshore wind installations passed 38 GW, making up 42% of global offshore wind capacity.

Cumulative installations:

Offshore Wind Worldwide

92.5 gigawatts With 92.5 GW installed by the end of 2025, the world is within touching distance of the historic milestone of 100 gigawatts in offshore wind installed worldwide. 102 million homes The amount of offshore wind installed globally could produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of 102 million homes, according to GWEC's calculation. 19 markets Markets were powered with offshore wind energy by the end of 2025: China, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Taiwan (China), Denmark, Belgium, France, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, Sweden, USA, Norway, Finland, Italy, Portugal, Ireland and Spain. Five largest markets Accounted for 90.3% of the world's total offshore wind capacity: China, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands and Taiwan (China). 10.3 MW turbine size The average turbine size (MW) installed in offshore wind sector in 2025 is 10.3 MW, surpassing the 10 MW milestone for the first time.

Featured charts from the 2026 Global Offshore Wind Report:

Download the 2026 Global Offshore Wind Report.